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Gnocchi
Gnocchi is the Italian name for a variety of dumpling. They may be made from potato, semolina, ordinary wheat flour, bread crumbs, or other ingredients. Outside Italy, the most popular form is based on potatoes.
The word gnocco is slang for 'lump'. In Roman times, gnocchi were made from a semolina porridge-like dough mixed with eggs, and are still found in similar forms today, particularly in Sardinia. One variety, gnocchi di pane, popular in the Friuli and Trentino-Alto Adige/Sudtirol regions, is made from bread crumbs.
Gnocchi are eaten as entrees ('primi piatti') in Italy and are considered as "minestre" (lit. 'soups'), along with pasta.
Gnocchi are widely available dried, frozen, or fresh in vacuum sealed packages in supermarkets and Italian speciality stores. Classic accompaniments of gnocchi include tomato sauces, pesto, and melted butter with cheese.
In Latin America
In Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Venezuela, countries where Italian cuisine is especially popular, gnocchi are traditionally eaten on the 29th day of each month, the day before payday, when money was tight and gnocchi were cheap and hearty fare. On these occasions, some people leave a banknote under the plate to attract prosperity. Uruguayans still gather each month for "noquis del 29" .
In a curious reversal of meaning, in Argentine and Uruguayan slang noqui has also become a way to denote a government employee that is listed in the payroll but only shows up to collect his or her paycheck around the 29th of each month.
References
Jenkins, Nancy Harmon. Flavors of Tuscany. 1998.
External links
Watch a chef make gnocchi from scratch.
Gnocchi recipe with step-by-step pictures
Illustrated recipe of Napoli strangolapreti 'priest-stranglers' gnocchis - in English
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Gnocchi
